No amount of pressure can be as intense as that which comes with recreating the Natty magic in consecutive seasons. Ryan Day and the Ohio State Buckeyes must be plotting not to repeat the Michigan Wolverines’ blunder. However, for that, they needed to find their starter. But whoever filled the spot had to fill a Will Howard-sized gap.

On August 15, On3’s Pete Nakos reported, “Ryan Day has mentioned this could come down to the wire. The Buckeyes are scheduled to have another scrimmage this weekend, but a source said a formal quarterback announcement could come middle to late next week.” But looks like Day handed fans an early surprise. And Julian Sayin heard his name as the QB1.

NFL analyst Anand Nanduri broke the much-awaited news on August 16. He wrote, “Ohio State’s starting QB will be Julian Sayin.” Already, the excitement is hitting the roof in Day’s squad as they gear up for their opener against the Texas Longhorns on August 30. And what better way to prep for the big face-off than having the clarity of the one leading the pack? 

Well, it’s not that Ohio State fans were completely in the dark about whom Coach Day was going to pass on the QB1 torch. Confusion loomed between Sayin and Lincoln Kienholz. Given Sayin’s sign, Day’s quarterback already gave away Dwayne Haskins vibes. On the other hand, Joe Burrow’s shadow was spotted in Kienholz. While Day only made the confusion bigger with the comparisons with the stalwarts, beat writer OT Brutus had picked his favorite between the Sayin-Kienholz race. 

On August 13, he tweeted, “Julian Sayin is shaping up to be a generational quarterback. His arm talent is elite; he can make every throw from every platform, with accuracy that already looks NFL-ready. Poise under pressure? Off the charts, he rarely panics, even against fast pass rushes. His football IQ is insane.” Maybe all these factors helped Day to make his call because otherwise Sayin wouldn’t have stood a chance, given his limited play time. Last season, the quarterback appeared in 4 games and he completed 5-of-12 passes, bringing his completion rate to 41.7% paired with a touchdown.

Maybe Day also took into account Sayin’s high school chapter. Back in his Carlsbad High School days, he was named the MVP of the 2023 Elite 11. But isn’t Sayin stepping on hot coal? After all, he got to live up to the hype of Day’s former quarterback, Howard, who completed 73% of his passes across Ohio State’s 16 games in the 2024 season. With this, he broke the previous record of 71.9% set by C.J. Stroud in 2021. Already, Sayin must be looking for some breather, being burdened with a big role. But Rece Davis chose to double the pressure.

Rece Davis flags a ‘proceed with caution’ warning for Julian Sayin

Coach Day must be driving the Buckeyes’ wagon in first gear. Their former offensive coordinator, Chip Kelly, who drove them to the Natty stage, left. Day filled the position by taking in Brian Hartline. A new coordinator and a new quarterback, now that’s what you call an intriguing combination. As Rece Davis pointed out, “You know, it’ll be fascinating with Ohio State also, whoever the quarterback is?… I wonder with how, you know, I say new coordinator – it is, Brian Hartline, but he’s, you know, been a brilliant receivers coach and Brian’s obviously been heavily involved in the offense.”

Not just Sayin, in that case, Kienholz, who might be handed the backup’s role, Davis’ reality check might be concerning. As the analyst continued, “But, I wonder about Jeremiah Smith and the new quarterback and everything. With the new quarterback, what have you got in the bag to make sure that Jeremiah Smith doesn’t have to hit a go-ball or doesn’t have to hit a, you know, 18-yard dig in order to get a touch? And I know they’ve got that within their scheme and everything, but see if they spread it out, get him moving around a little bit, and then let the young quarterback, whichever one it is, see if he can get going a little bit.” The moral of the story? 

As a freshman wide receiver, Ryan Day can’t ask Jeremiah Smith to make tough, long catches. The staff will need to scheme easier touches, quick passes, screens, or motion plays to help Julian Sayin and keep Smith involved. While the world around tries to bring up the pressure for Sayin, the quarterback has his learning material ready to sharpen his skills.

In an interview with 247Sports, he said, “I think Will was such a great leader to learn from, and he was someone who was able to get the entire team around him, get the entire building to rally around him. So it’s definitely important to see that, and I have a lot of respect for Will, obviously.” Now, let’s see how his first year at the Buckeyes camp treats him.